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posted on:
5/1/2012 5:00:26 PM EST
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Does my Vote Count?
voting, democracy, Supreme Court, government, elections
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I normally do not like to talk about controversial subjects especially those that deal with politics. But I could not pass up the chance to voice my opinion under the First Amendment freedom of speech rights. I am about to put my toe in the water concerning the latest ruling on elections by the Supreme Court of the United States that has many still in an uproar, Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission. I am not going to cite a lot of laws, but I am going to give my opiinion and feelings about this ruling.
The gist of the ruling said that a corporation had the same rights as a person under the First Amendment, so the suppression of its right to contribute to and participate in an election through giving money and expressing it views in the media, was a denial of it Constitutional rights. This ruling also lead to the formation of the Super Pacs that can't have direct contact with a candidate, but can advocate for whoever it wants to support and can accept unllimited amounts of money without disclosure of who actually made the contribution. This scares me to death!
I ask one question. Does my vote count anymore? Some would say yes, but I beg to differ. In America, there are people who have so much money that they can peddle so much influence that all of the democratic process is not stable. Many worry about the current presidential campaign and the ruling will affect it, but I point toward the state, local and Congressional races that can be influenced by big money in a way that it never has before. A Super Pac or a person with the big check can threaten an incumbent with the notion that if he or she does not vote on certain legislation a certain way, money with be put in place in their district to unseat them. This is going on now. I have seen the enormous amounts of money these Super Pac members throw arround. Five or Ten Million Dollars is just a drop in the hat to some.
But what about the every day Joe who punches a clock and just barely makes it. Has his influence been taken away by the ultra rich? Can his one vote make a difference? A few years ago I would have said yes his vote can change an election. But now I have some doubts. I still think Joe should vote, but I do believe the democratic process is in trouble. I have heard words like socialism even communism to describe some of todays governing. I just want to say that our Democratic process has been challenged by this ruling and we all need to stand up and take notice before all power is taken away from us. I still believe that we live in a country based upon government of the people, by the people and for the people.
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